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Quality Online Elementary Music Books Hosted on TumbleBooks

TumbleBooks aren’t only for homeroom classes. These online elementary music books are perfect for any music class and SO helpful on sub days.

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Does your school have a TumbleBooks subscription? You might think TumbleBooks is solely for the elementary general classroom but they have MANY excellent titles for elementary music too. And, TumbleBooks are perfect for sub days!

First, what are TumbleBooks? TumbleBooks is an online database of e-books for children in grades K-6. Elementary schools and public libraries around the world have subscriptions. Your school may already have a subscription.

Ask your librarian.

Music teacher reading to early elementary children.

What Kind of Books Do They Have?

The TumbleBook library currently has over 1,110 books. These include picture books, chapter books, graphic novels, National Geographic videos, playlists, puzzles and games, and more.

Books are cross-referenced by Lexiles and Accelerated Reader levels. Their library includes both fiction and nonfiction selections. Some books are available in Spanish and French as well.

How Do I Access TumbleBooks?

Ask your school librarian if your school already has a subscription. Subscriptions are school-wide, not by individual teachers. TumbleBooks offers free 30-day trial subscriptions. The following is quoted from the TumbleBooks website.

“Subscriptions are affordable and EASY to use and include tools to simplify your kids’ access from home as well as from your building. There are no check-out times or wait lists: the books are always available, to everyone in your institution!”

TumbleBooks Provides Teacher Resources and Differentiation for Students

TumbleBooks provides many options for each book. Teachers may read the books to students, students may read the books on their own, or students may have books read to them in a video format as the words are highlighted. The platform also includes lesson plans built around books, quizzes, book reports, and more. TumbleBooks even has SING-ALONG BOOKS!

TumbleBooks Titles for Elementary Music

TumbleBooks includes some fabulous storybooks for the elementary music classroom. And, they’re perfect for music sub lessons too. While there aren’t a ton of music titles available yet, they do represent various genres and styles. And, they include quality children’s literature.

I recommend the following titles which are currently available in the TumbleBook Library.

Using TumbleBooks in the Elementary Music and the General Classroom
  • Dance of the Violin, Kathy Stinson –  a Joshua Bell story
  • The Man with the Violin, Kathy Stinson –  a Joshua Bell story
  • When Louis Armstrong Taught Me Scat, Muriel Harris Weinstein
  • Once Upon a Breath, Aaron Zevy (This is the story of the Big Bad Wolf but with a jazzy twist!)
  • The Best Mariachi in the World, J.D. Smith
  • Oscar Lives Next Door, Bonnie Farmer
  • Pecorino’s First Concert, Alan Madison
  • Song of Middle C, Allison McGhee
  • The First Music, Dylan Pritchett
  • Frank Was a Monster Who Wanted to Dance, Keith Graves

Sing-Along Books

The following sing-along books are currently available in the TumbleBooks Library. Once again, there’s not a multitude of songs available yet, but the songs that are available are standard folk songs that would be a valuable addition to your students’ repertoires.

  • Aiken Drum
  • The Ants Go Marching
  • Apples & Bananas
  • BINGO
  • Down by the Bay
  • If I had a Hammer
  • If You’re Happy and You Know It
  • Itsy Bitsy Spider
  • I’ve Been Working on the Railroad
  • Mary Had a Little Lamb
  • She’ll Be Comin’ ‘Round the Mountain
  • Sing a Song of Sixpence
  • The More We Get Together
  • This Old Man
  • The Wheels on the Bus

Conclusion

If you’re not familiar with TumbleBooks and its library of online elementary music books, take a look at this easy-to-use online platform! I know you and your elementary music students will enjoy and benefit from these fun music storybooks.


More About Using Storybooks in Elementary Music

If you’re looking to expand your classroom library, take a peek at a few TumbleBook titles from this post. Enjoy!

The Dance of the Violin

Last update on 2024-03-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

The Man With the Violin

Last update on 2024-03-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Down by the Bay (Raffi Songs to Read)

Last update on 2024-03-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Once Upon a Breath

Last update on 2024-03-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Meet the Author

Terri Lloyd is a former elementary music teacher with over 25 years of experience. She holds a Bachelor of Music, a Master of Science in Education, and a Technology Certificate in Instructional Design.

She is currently active in music education through blogging, workshops, and curriculum development. She serves on the music staff at her church and volunteers for an after-school children’s program. Terri is an active musician in the community, performing in a local Big Band, pit orchestras, and various events.

More Ways to Connect – Instagram, Facebook, YouTube.

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